Syria opposition chief: strikes are a moral duty

Head of the Syrian National Coalition, Ahmad al-Jarba, talks to the media at the end of a meeting with French President Francois Hollande, unseen, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Thursday Aug. 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

PARIS (AP) — The head of the Western-backed Syrian opposition says that the British parliament's failure to endorse military action in Syria isn't enough to hold back strikes by other allies.

Ahmad al-Jarba said on France-Inter radio on Friday that he wasn't surprised by the vote that effectively removes Britain from a coalition of Western allies looking to punish Bashar Assad with military strikes for his regime's alleged responsibility in an apparent Aug. 21 chemical attack.

Al-Jabar said that strikes contemplated by the United States, France, and, originally, Britain are a moral responsibility that can level the playing field militarily.

He said that "strikes can paralyze a large part of the regime and raise morale" within the opposition.

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